Idlewild Gets Reviewed

With the release of Idlewild coming our way this Friday, some of the early reviews have begun to appear online.

Idlewild Reviews

Both of the first two reviews we have seen seem to have enjoyed the film, but are mixed on just how good it is.

THR
"Idlewild" is an entertaining mess. It blends together musical styles and dances, historical periods with howling anachronisms, coy, almost childish gimmicks with R-rated sex and violence and "The Cotton Club" with "Six Feet Under." Think of it as a 1930s remix. The movie has a "let's put on a show" casualness, yet choreography and music can't be slicker. But an entertaining mess is still a mess.

Fans of OutKast probably won't care. The film stars Antwan A. Patton and Andre Benjamin, aka Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast, who also serve as music supervisors. The film's writer-director is Bryan Barber, OutKast's frequent music-video director. This oddball concoction has sat on a shelf for nearly two years while Universal figured out how to sell it. "Idlewild" may just sell itself thanks to the stars and a hot soundtrack. But it won't satisfy sticklers for historical correctness. For instance, how do you feel about 1930s hip-hop?

Variety
"Idlewild," aka "The OutKast Project," achieves magic--something sorely missing from so many movies these days--and does so via a philosophy of respect, but not reverence, for what's come before it; it never recycles, it just reimagines. With its two platinum-selling pop stars, propulsive musicality and a something-for-everyone approach leading to a huge payoff, pic should not only lure its target fan base but achieve crossover success as well.

I dig Outkast and admit to having laughed at Andre 3000's antics on multiple previous occasions. I only hold reservations on the film because of the first set of clips released by Universal; they just didn't do it for me.

Ehh, maybe Universal will release a couple more before the week's up to help clear up my bad first impression.

Check out both reviews for Idlewild by clicking on the bold links above.